Black and White
by transparentchaos
Summary: The world has had its longest length of peace since the Cell Games. Son Gohan's life has never been more relaxed, studying and training. But when the gears of war begin to turn, he can't turn a blind eye. All of that would have been fine with him, if his mother hadn't decided to send him to high school. Now he'll have to keep his secrets under wraps while maintaining a normal life.
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone! It's been a while since I've last updated my Dragon Ball Z story, Dad, I'll See You Soon. As I was rereading it when I planned to update, I didn't like the story progression and my overall writing style at the time, so I decided to rewrite it, with a somewhat similar plot, but different elements and different details. If you want, you can check out the other story on my page, but I honestly like this one better. I'm going to try keeping Gohan's personality the same as in the other stories, and some of the scenes will be similar or almost identical, but I think that this one will only be loosely based on the other one. So please, enjoy!

_**Any copyrighted materials used in this work are owned by their respective owners. I do not intend to profit off of this.**_

Chapter 1: Return to Normalcy

* * *

_Seven years ago, the world was overrun by war, a war that destroyed countless cities and struck millions with unprecedented fear in its short, concise duration. The bio-artificial life-form, Cell, created by the ingenious and certifiably insane Doctor Gero of the then destroyed Red Ribbon Army, from the genetics of some of the world's most powerful inhabitants and visitors, took countless lives, vowed the destruction of one Son Goku, who's myth and legendary status rocketed him to the epitomes of unsolved, unanswered mysteries. The man responded in kind, in a harrowing battle against the creature, before conceding defeat, much to the surprise of his allies and the monster itself. What had surprised them even more was the nomination of his young, then nine-year old son, Gohan, as the world's next savior, to follow in his father's footsteps. Goku had been correct in his predictions, his son ascending the mantle as the most powerful Saiyan warrior, who overpowered Cell with no effort. In desperation and clouded judgment, it exploded, taking the life of Son Goku with it. The young boy, however, had no time to mourn his father's passing, with Cell returning, more powerful than before. With that, it took the boy all his might and the assistance of his father's soul to destroy the being once and for all before vanishing into the night._

_The aftermath had been less horrendous and chaotic than initially expected. Those who had been killed had returned as if they had simply been on vacation. The damage done to the earth had been revoked in one night. One man, a wrestler going only by Satan, managed to climb to fame, claiming his victory in the fight, thus stealing the credit from the young boy. Despite this despicable move, however, it was under that man's charisma that the world was reborn; as if the Cell Games, as they had become known, was only a dream._

* * *

"Vegeta, watch your six!" a voice resounded through the headphones as a short, raven-flame haired man exploded into the air, narrowly missing a beam of light underfoot. It impacted with a mountain several kilometers from his position, creating a massive explosion that cracked the ground at their position. Vegeta growled, the power flowing through his body lighting up the dark sky like midsummer fireworks. Balls of light exploded outward, connecting with alien tank-like vehicles with pinpoint precision. "You're welcome. Bulma would have killed you if you had put our brand new armor out of commission on its first run. Man, I'm glad we decided to lure them to Mars. Who knows how much damage they could make on Earth…?"

"Don't get too cocky, Kakabrat!" the man spat as a taller figure clad head to toe in black metallic armor landed behind him _(both he and Vegeta are equipped with armor that looks like Mjolnir Mk VI (the Halo series) with Iron Man's repulsor systems. Vegeta isn't wearing the helmet, instead using an augmented reality visor, and his armor is royal blue)_. They stood, back to back, in fighting stances, the figure opening up its palms which revealed glowing circles. The spinning generator in the middle of the chest-armor hummed with anticipation as the figure's heads-up display synched with Vegeta's. "How many are coming?"

"Well, for one, it's Gohan, Son Gohan, to be exact. And two, we have at least twenty tank-like vehicles due west of our location and heavy foot infantry trying a pincer technique at thirty, one-hundred twenty, and two-hundred sixty degrees, respectively, numbering about forty thousand in total. Their mothership is about nine hundred kilometers south of the rear guard position," he explained. "And, you know, Vegeta, shining like a Christmas tree on the dark side of a planet isn't exactly the brightest idea." A snort that came was the older man's reply.

"The Prince of all Saiyans doesn't need to hide in the dark! I'll blast these pathetic little lizard-bastards into Kingdom Come without your help! Understood!?" he shouted. Gohan winced a little, turning down the transmission volume to spare his sensitive hearing. "Just go back to the woman and tell her that the armor works and that I won't need it ever again!"

"I got it. You play house with the army and I'll go take down the mothership. Sound like a plan?"

"Do you want me to kill you Kakabrat?"

"Fine, Fine. I'll be back for support if you need it."

"Highly unlikely."

Gohan blasted off from behind the hot-headed man, kicking up dust in his wake as he streaked across the star-filled sky at high-hypersonic speed. The navigation system in the suit was directing him directly toward the largest ship that had landed on the planet. Radio waves and transmissions emitted from the craft left him no doubt of its role in battle. Slowly, a brightly lit, purplish-pink ship, sleek in design, appeared over the horizon. "I guess Vegeta isn't the only one with this kind of flawed logic."

He pulled to a stop, hovering mid-air while his hand began to glow with dangerous intensity. Electric blue sparks shot out of the ball of dense energy he was charging as the targeting system analyzed the ship for its structural weak points. Several red circles appeared on his visor as he brought his hand forward. With a small grunt, the ball of energy converted into a beam that split in multiple directions, hitting each target with pin-point accuracy. The ship exploded in a ball of spectacular blue and purple flames, rising into the atmosphere dozens of kilometers, filling the area with harsh-smelling gases and dense smoke. "Are you finished destroying the ship, Kakabrat? I'm just about done here," the prince asked over the comm. "If not, hurry up. I want to get back to my training as soon as possible."

"Yeah, I'm done. Just hold your horses, your highness," he sighed.

"I've really got to congratulate you on a job well done, Gohan," a feminine voice cheered. A small box popped up on the corner of his screen, in it, a beautiful, cyan-haired woman in her mid thirties. He smirked as he turned around, blasting off back toward Vegeta's location. "That damned thing kept interfering with my signal, so I couldn't get a hold of you."

"I kind of wish it didn't need to be destroyed. That ship might have made for some valuable research material," he said. "Who knows? Maybe we could have found a new fuel source, or a way to make our computers even smarter than before?"

"Geez, Gohan, all you think about is research and fighting. It's like talking to a scholarly version of your father," the woman laughed light-heartedly.

"I suppose that that's a bad thing, Bulma? After all, you've known him longer than even mother."

"No, no. It's not a bad thing," she replied, shaking her head. "Goku does his own thing, so we don't really need to worry about it. You're kind of the same way. At least, I think…"

"I see…"

"Speaking of doing one's own thing-"

"No, Vegeta's armor should still be in one piece. I'm still getting a power reading from the core generator. His shields look like they could use some tweaking though, mine too. They seem to negate our Chi usage and vice versa. The blast I just used took out ten percent of the Over Shield and it wasn't even that powerful. Who knows how much Vegeta's was depleted…"

"Thanks for the heads-up. I'll look into that once you guys get back. It looks like those aliens are turning around in full retreat, so we probably won't be dealing with them for a long while," Bulma explained before yawning. "Man, you Saiyans are freaks. It's almost four in the morning here and-"

"Saiyans don't need anything more than an hour of sleep per week to function as an evolution of our fighting prowess. Don't compare us to humans," Vegeta's gruff, angry tone resounded over the intercom, followed by an image of his angry face whose black eyes glared at Gohan's.

"Vegeta, when did you…?"

"I think he just figured out how to use the long-distance communication system," Gohan replied flatly. "You know, joining a chat." The woman nodded.

"Well, you two need to hurry back. Chi Chi has something she wants to tell you," she said, looking at Gohan. He noticed her apologetic stare, but decided against pressing further. "And I repaired your Gravity Room while you were away, Vegeta."

The two nodded diligently. "We'll be back in three days, woman. Count on it." The transmission was cut, with the navigation system on the visor redirecting to the coordinates of the ship. Gohan chuckled to himself, speeding up his flight to reach his transportation home.

Letting out a long, exaggerated sigh, Gohan slumped in the main control area of the Capsule-shaped spaceship, his hands gracefully gliding over the controls with inhuman speed. It wouldn't be long until the ship was airborne and ready to escape the red planet's dusty atmosphere. Vegeta had gone off somewhere in the ship, so he figured that he would have peace and quiet for a few hours. _Maybe I can start that novel I brought with me, _he thought bemusedly before shaking his head. _No, my temporary roommate is Vegeta, who can't even operate the stove without 'asking' for assistance. Speaking of which… _He stood up, ambling aimlessly toward the main access door. With a swipe of his identification card, the entire control room was isolated from the rest of the ship, a countermeasure implemented by Bulma to make living with Vegeta more bearable. _I should really thank Bulma for this._

"You are now leaving the Martian atmosphere. Course plotted for Earth. E.T.A. three days, seven hours, and twenty-four minutes," a monotone voice echoed through the ship. Gohan sighed again, sinking into the plush leather of the captain's chair. "Please enjoy your trip."

* * *

"You sent my son into space!? You told me he was only going overseas to supervise the CapsuleShip development at Capsule Corp. North! I still haven't gotten over the time he went into space and came back with an alien overlord on his ass!" a shrill scream echoed through the well furnished library of Capsule Corporation's main office. Bulma Briefs sighed, scratching her cheek with a carefully manicured finger. Before her was an angry raven haired woman in her early thirties, clad in traditional Chinese dress. A small, spiky haired boy nearby winced a little. "When I agreed to him working here, it was to further his education!"

"Chi Chi," the cyan haired heiress began, "he's an adolescent boy with a lot of pent aggression. Do you really think that Super Saiyan Level Two would have been attainable if he was as calm as Piccolo or happy as Goku. If you lock him up too much, he'll blow up again. Besides, he **is** supervising the development of the CapShip. In fact, he took it on its maiden voyage! I think I might let him name it! And sending him into space was an unforeseeable circumstance…"

"Even still! War isn't something a boy his age should be seeing!" Son Chi Chi exclaimed. "It's bad enough he had to witness the death of his father twice and that of his sensei once! What do you think it will do to his psyche!? And what the hell do you mean, 'unforeseeable circumstance'!? "

"Why is it that the first thing you say is that I sent your sixteen year old son off to war?" Bulma asked, feigning offense. "He's not a weapon."

"So you're telling me I'm wrong?" the other woman prodded, crossing her arms. Azure eyes averted from raven ones.

"There were alien hostiles approaching Earth, so he and Vegeta went to drive them away. He is Goku's son, you know. I know that they manage just fine. Your concern makes sense, but he's a good boy. We both know that. Gohan's not the kind of person who'd go insane, well, without reason. He's the world's savior. You should give him some credit because he definitely knows when to stop. Though, I wish Vegeta would take his example…"

"W-Well…"

"And you're even sending him to school of all places! If that doesn't scream normal, I don't know what does!"

"Knowing him, he'll try to play superhero and skip classes," the raven haired woman grumbled. A small jolt shot up Bulma's spine as she laughed nervously. Chi Chi glanced at her friend suspiciously. "Oh? Has he been doing something else behind my back?"

"I'm not sure what you're implying, Chi! He's just doing research here… that shouldn't be very dangerous…" Bulma mumbled. _I definitely can't tell her that he's working on a super-weapon battle suit._

"What was that now?"

"Nothing! Nothing! Speaking of which, Gohan and Vegeta should be arriving at the private airbase within the hour." A small figure popped out from behind Chi Chi, his spiked hair shooting out in all directions. Son Goten, despite his vitality and known sense of mischief, knew when to stay quiet, especially when his mother was screaming. When it came to Gohan, though, the boy could hardly contain his excitement. The week-and-a-half without Nii-chan had been absolutely boring, since Trunks was grounded. He watched as the woman he called his aunt pulled out her phone. "Can you prepare a car? We're going to the airbase to greet our astronauts." She turned to him, kneeling so she was level with him. "C'mon, Goten-chan! Do you want to greet our Gohan? You must've been bored for the past week." He nodded vigorously before turning to his mother, who sighed with a sense of defeat. The small boy gladly took her hand, careful not to crush it in his excited grip as they followed the other woman out the door.

* * *

"God damn it!" Vegeta screamed as he flipped over the table, his hands balled into fists. Cards, chips, both poker and edible, and cans of soda flew everywhere as Gohan reclined in the chair before him, smirking victoriously with five playing cards in his hands, a straight flush. "Every goddamn time!"

"What's wrong, Vegeta? Mad that you can't get a good poker hand?" the younger Saiyan taunted. "I guess the difference in our skills is just too great." _Although it does help that he has a horrible poker face… I wish I had a video camera; Bulma would have had a blast watching him giggle like an elated schoolgirl. Well, it's not to that degree, but it's still funny._

"I've had enough of your smug attitude Kakabrat! We're going again! And I'm going to win back all that money you took, and then some!" the prince yelled. For a moment, the two of them remained silent catching on the same wavelength as they stared at the mess scattered about the floor before turning back to each other. They turned to the large screen, huge, digital numbers ticking away the mere minutes to touchdown on the Earth's surface. "On another note, we should sweep this under the rug before the woman goes into a conniption. We can get someone else to clean this up in secret." Gohan nodded, agreeing, before they scrambled about, desperately hiding the evidence of their gambling session.

Both Vegeta and Gohan were short on breath when the air lock released, making a hissing noise as the bright light of the sun shone in their eyes. There were four people standing on the runway waiting for them, but the Prince ignored them, taking off into the sky. Goten's eyes brightened as his brother emerged from the capsule spaceship, clad in a black T-shirt and blue jeans. Without warning, he barreled over to his older brother, leaping onto his shoulders. "Heya, Squirt! Did you listen to Mom while I was out?"

"Yeah! But it was so boring at home, Nii-chan!" the younger boy whined. Gohan laughed. "Why didn't you tell me that you were going to go away for such a long time?"

"Yeah, Gohan, you kept it a secret from us. Did you really expect us to not notice a sudden disappearance like that? We might not all be child prodigies, but even we can figure out **some** things," a mirthfully light voice teased. A beautiful red-haired girl smiled as she crossed her arms over her well-endowed chest. Her shining blue-green eyes glittered in the afternoon sun as the approached the two brothers. She was similar to him in height, with smooth, pale skin and a clear complexion that seemed to shimmer with her eyes. "That's so mean to Goten, you know. And he doesn't like playing with me, for some odd reason. Can't you at least apologize to him?"

"You're right, Lime," he chuckled. "That was mean of me. Sorry for keeping it from you, Goten." The younger boy simply nodded, too elated to hear the actual words of apology. "Speaking of which, are you sure that you're not just doing that to tease me?"

"That's a possibility, isn't it?" she asked, as if finally realizing something while drawing closer to him. Her face came mere centimeters from his. "Say… I've been bored too, how are you going to apologize to me?" He laughed sheepishly, his glance turning to his mother and Bulma, who were both watching the interaction closely. The wide grins on their faces made him blush slightly.

"Hey, they might get the wrong idea, you know," he whispered into her ear. "Should we keep it up or pull back? I'm not going to hear the end of it from Mom tonight anyways." She shrugged enough for him to notice.

"It's your choice. As long as you promise to go hang out with me, I'm fine either way," she replied, searching for a reaction from the two older women out of the corner of her eye. He drew back, dramatically striking a thinking posture with his fingers to his chin. Lime giggled. "Geez, can't you take this seriously?"

"I could ask you the same thing…"

"Mom! Nii-chan and Lime are doing kissy kissy stuff again!" Goten complained indignantly. There was a moment of silence before they all started laughing. Chi Chi had finally approached them, plucking him from Gohan's shoulders. He began pouting childishly, sinking into his mother's arms. "No fair! Nii-chan always spends time with Lime! I wanna play with him too!"

"We shouldn't talk like that, Goten!" Chi Chi admonished. "If we interfere too much, I probably won't have a daughter-in-law that I'll approve of for a long time!"

"What a way to ruin the mood, Mom," Gohan sighed. Lime giggled again, grabbing him by the arm. "Huh?"

"Goten, I'm going to steal your brother until evening," she explained. "But I'll trade. You can have him this evening and all of tomorrow, how does that sound?" The young boy thought about it for a moment before extending his hand.

"Nii-chan said that this is the right way to seal deals," Goten explained excitedly.

"I see," she replied, glancing at the teen at her side.

"I'm a commodity now? That kind of hurts," he laughed.

"That won't do, Lime," Chi Chi interrupted, shaking her head. Bulma sighed. "The new semester is starting tomorrow and Gohan is supposed to attend the opening ceremony."

"New semester? Opening ceremony?" Gohan queried. "What are you talking about, Mom?"

"I thought it was time to enroll you in school," she explained. He reeled back a little. "As of tomorrow, you'll officially be a second year student at Orange Star High School!"

"She didn't want you to become a hikikomori, Gohan," the blue haired woman added. "I tried to warn you, but I just couldn't find the words to… Gohan, are you alright?"

He stood there, frozen for a moment. His eyes had glazed. When he began moving, he pulled out his cell phone and opened the calendar. _It's March 31, so there isn't any April Fool's Day today, but Mom doesn't participate in that sort of thing anyways. Wait… this is a joke, right?_ He his eyes darted from Lime, who was trying to keep in a fit of laughter, to Bulma, who gave him the same apologetic look he saw on Mars, to his mother, who seemed excited for the occasion. _You've got to be kidding me… _"This isn't a joke, is it?"

"This is just as new to me," Lime agreed, finally letting out her laughter. "Gohan is going to school? This is absolutely hilarious! What could he possibly learn from school? He's the one who built an intergalactic satellite at the age of twelve! He'll stand out too much."

"He's quite dense when it comes to modern society," his mother explained.

"I can give him some of my magazines, Mom," she offered. "He'd get really bored at school."

"Is it possible for me to pass on both of them?" Gohan asked weakly. "I can just pick up that kind of thing as I go along. There really isn't any reason to-"

"Absolutely not!" Chi Chi exclaimed. "I want my sons to have a normal, civilized life where they won't use their fists to solve problems!"

"But Mom, I don't-"

"I won't hear any of it! You're just like your father in that sense, Gohan!"

"I-I give up," he sighed. Bulma laughed lightly.

"Look at it this way, Gohan. Lime can guide you through if you have any problems since she'll be your senpai," she assured him. "I'm sure she'll help you out." The redhead nodded with a bright smile. "See? You're not entirely lost."

"Gee, that makes me feel a lot better," he grumbled. "You make it sound like I'm socially inept. I do have friends you know."

"Your father's friends, a dragon, an alien kid that acts as the God of this planet, and me, Gohan; those are your friends," Lime replied. "I'm the only one that could be considered remotely normal. And since I know your secret, your super mode, and that you were the one who actually beat Cell, I'm not entirely normal either."

"But-"

"No buts, Gohan!" the Son matriarch interrupted. "This is for your own good! It's bad for a child when explosions, death, and revival are typical occurrences for him! Your mental state might be fine now, but what if you turn into Vegeta!?" The thought made her shudder uncontrollably.

"I get it. I get it," he sighed. "I'll go. I'll go. But I'm not guaranteeing that I'll like it."

"Gohan, we'd be more worried if you **do **like it," Bulma teased. He turned to her, confused. "No sixteen year old kid in their right mind likes school."

"If that's the case, then why do I have to go?"

"We've been down this road, Gohan. I can ground you if you want," Chi Chi threatened. He laughed sheepishly, holding his hands up to show his unconditional surrender. "I thought so." Lime tugged at the arm she was still holding. He turned, briefly entranced by her brilliant smile.

"C'mon! I don't think that you have a clean notebook or anything normal high school students have. We're going to go shopping!" she explained. "If that's alright with Mom." The Son matriarch gave her a smile of approval.

"You just want me to carry your bags, right?" he asked.

"Really? You'll do that for me? I need someone with arms like yours to carry my stuff."

"They really do make a good couple, huh Chi?" Bulma sighed dreamily. The other woman nodded as they watched their retreating figures. Lime had latched herself to Gohan's side so that he was walking at an awkward angle.

"I just wish they'd get together already," she replied elatedly. "They're too busy claiming that they're just friends."

* * *

"I can't believe that you did something like that! What'll happen if Bulma-san finds out about it?" Lime asked after hearing about her friend's gambling session with Vegeta. She could tell that he was uncomfortable with the sheer amount of people on the streets at that time of day and was trying to do her best to relieve his tension. Most of them were couples on dates and students relaxing on the last day before school, so she felt that there wouldn't be any harm. It wouldn't have surprised her if she met someone she knew.

"I'm worried that she'll try it for herself," he said dubiously. His eyes darted about cautiously. "She's not the kind of person who'd miss a chance like that… Is there something wrong?"

"You don't have to be so on guard, you know. It's not like someone's going to come out and attack us," she assured him. The look in his eyes told her that he didn't believe her one bit. Just as he was about to respond, an explosion came from the bank directly beside them.

Shards of glass and chunks of debris scattered everywhere. Frantic screams and heavy, dusty smoke filled the air. When she opened her eyes, she found herself buried in Gohan's well-built chest. His T-shirt had been shredded in the explosion, the glass harmlessly bouncing off his tough skin. She could feel his muscles move as he gripped her tightly in his arms. "Are you alright?" he asked with a deep, serious voice. She shuddered excitedly, looking into his jet black eyes. He was going into _that_ mode again.

Without warning, the half Saiyan swept her off her feet and bolted across the street and into the nearest alleyway, vaulting up to the roof of the building directly across from the site of the explosion. He was warm. She could feel his heart beating as he carried her. He wasn't exerting himself, his heart only beat that fast if he was genuinely worried about someone.

"Are you injured anywhere?" he asked, again, checking her body for any signs of damage. Finding none, he let out a sigh of relief. "Stay here, Lime. Something's not right here." He looked over the edge of the roof. There were ten injured people lying on the ground. No one had exited the building, but there were definitely people still inside. He grit his teeth angrily. _I can't go Super, or it might be linked with the Cell Games. _He glanced at the nearest intersection and made a quick survey of the street. There were cameras everywhere. _With facial recognition software, it would take mere minutes to track me and I can't have that._

He glanced down at his wrists. On each were black bracelets, his and Bulma's latest joint project._ Sorry Bulma, _he thought to himself. "Implement! ARC-001 Override! Combat form, engage! Authorization code: 'alpha', 'omega', 'theta', 'epsilon', zero, four, seven! Pilot, Saiyan One." Lime gasped as the bracelets changed form, Gohan's entire body became covered in a black, mesh-like bodysuit as black metal plates covered his arms, followed by a chest piece and leg armor. A metal spinal cover and jet'like body part unrolled over his back, before everything compacted onto his body, forming a mecha-like exo-skeleton that she'd never seen before.

"Authorized. Welcome back, Son Gohan," a monotonous female voice said. "Combat mode is active, but diagnostics need to be run on the weapons systems. Do you want to run them now?"

"There's no time to run a system diagnostic, computer. Disarm all auxiliary weapons for now, but keep over shields charged," he commanded as he rotated his shoulder cuffs. His face was covered by a frosted black visor that reflected the sun's light. "Lime!" She gave him her undivided attention. "Stay here. If something happens, scream. I'll come running, got it?"

"Go get'em Tiger!" she cheered. He laughed, diving off the roof.

Despite having a weight of only sixty-one kilograms, Gohan's landing created fissures in the pavement, mostly in part to the nearly two hundred kilogram weight of the exo-skeleton. Any normal human would need to use the electronic assist installed within each joint to move properly, but it felt as light as a feather to him. From his training, he could feel a cluster of people inside the bank, but there was another, more unfamiliar being accompanying them as well.

He walked into the main area, noticing blood and body parts painting the walls and floors red. The bad premonition he was having was getting stronger. The conditions of the victims weren't the results of an explosion. They had been torn apart. Was the unfamiliar being the cause? He began stepping slowly, as the dust began to clear.

A gunshot rang out. Gohan dropped to the floor and picked up a pen, and hurtled it in the direction of the bullet like a throwing knife, effectively killing him, while charging forward. Seven more men had emerged from the vault, several military grade assault rifles trained on him. They didn't hesitate opening fire, but the bullets bounced harmlessly off the over shield as he leapt into the air. His ankle came down harshly upon the first man, inflicting a heavy injury to his dominant shoulder. Instantly shifting his weight backward, he fell into a handstand, spinning off his left hand so that his aerial sweep kick connected with the two nearest to him.

Despite this, he was still under a rain of bullets. Measuring the distance between himself and the nearest hostile, Gohan bent his arms and sprung back into the air, crouching on the ceiling before springing forward at the man with his fist outstretched. It connected with the fourth man's nose while his legs wrapped themselves around the fifth man, slamming his head into the floor. There was no doubt about a mild concussion. _Still three to go… and that… thing…_

He dashed forward, spinning around a support beam ten meters from his previous position and launched his foot into the sixth man's back, sending him flying out the bank and into a parked car. The rain of bullets had stopped. _Of course! Those are standard issue, so they would have about thirty rounds. And average reload time is about two seconds. _He dashed forward, grabbing the two men by their heads and slammed them into the floor, knocking them out in one blow. _Now that that's over with, I should get to the hostages._

There were twenty people stuffed into the vault, bunched in a corner. Some were trying to console the others while most cowered in fear. There was no one guarding them. For a moment, he wondered if it was a trap, or if all the enemies had been eliminated. They looked upon him fearfully before he brought up his hands to emphasize that he was unarmed. "Are you guys alright?" Their eyes widened noticeably.

"Behind you!" a small girl screamed. He turned just in time to see a long tentacle-like appendage with rows of sharp teeth shoot at him. Instinctively, he leaned to the side and grabbed it, wrenching it toward him. It was a creature, similar to a snake, that he hadn't seen before. It thrashed violently, in his grip as another one shot at him, only to be caught in his other hand. Without thinking, Gohan unleashed a burst of energy into each of them, making them pop like balloons, before dashing out and scanning the area.

_So those two were the only ones? _He thought to himself. _I didn't sense them approaching. They didn't show up on radar either. They weren't androids either._ He looked around the messy vault, covered in the mysterious creatures' body parts when he noticed that they had begun growing. _Shit! They turn into more when you blow them up? _"Everyone get out NOW!" he shouted. They didn't hesitate, and ran out. In ten seconds, he was the only one left in the vault. _Wait… This energy… This is the unfamiliar energy from earlier. Don't tell me…No; I don't have time to think. If these things get out, I don't know what will happen. I have to destroy them right here and now. _He released a powerful explosion of energy, obliterating any remains that were left so that there was no chance of regeneration.

It wasn't Videl Satan's day at all. Regret ebbed at her mind. She had forgotten her summer homework until the last moment and when she'd finally set herself down to do it, Satan PD called her for a bank robbery. At least six people were dead and ten were injured. There was gunfire as well, heavy gunfire at that. "Just how useless are they to rely on a girl who's only in her second year of high school?" she grumbled to herself.

There were at least seven police cars surrounding the site. The officers were behind their cruisers, their guns drawn on a robotic figure standing at the front. The officer in charge seemed relieved as he rushed to her when she disembarked her JetCopter. "Videl-san! Thank god you're here!" he exclaimed. She fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"So what's the situation?" she asked curtly. "I've got to get my summer homework finished."

"This thing just came out of the bank after all the hostages, but won't say anything. We can't get anything out of it," he replied. She turned to the armored Gohan, who was still standing in the middle of a police standoff. The suit itself looked like something straight out of a movie or video game, but she was sure that technology wasn't advanced enough for something like that. "At first, we thought it was just a costume, but one of the hostages said that he took on all the gunmen."

"Why haven't you just taken it into custody?" she continued, getting more and more irritated with the situation. "It doesn't look like he'll attack."

"W-we've tried, but some sort of invisible barrier is keeping us from doing anything," he explained. She gave him a suspicious glance before turning to Gohan.

"Hey! You!" she shouted. She could feel her temper rise as he ignored her. "Do you want me to bust you up, Tin Can!? I know you can hear me!"

"Sir, someone is attempting to contact you. Should I re-enable the external stereo?" the on-board A.I. asked him. "She doesn't seem very happy that you're ignoring her."

"No, keep me isolated and open a secured line to Lime," he replied.

Videl growled angrily. The affectionately named "Tin Can" was getting on her already frayed nerves by ignoring her. She grounded herself before leaping forward her dominant hand cocked back in a fist. It was gone by the time she reached its position. Her eyes widened when her strike flew through an afterimage. "What?" she muttered when a large explosion rocked the entire avenue. Glass from the surrounding buildings rained on the street as the air around them distorted. "A… Sonic Boom?"

* * *

So that's the first chapter of my redone story. Constructive criticism is encouraged, but please, no flaming or anything offensive. It doesn't help anything, nor does it make the story any better or worse for you. Thanks!

Transparentchaos signing out!


	2. Chapter 2

Hello everyone, and welcome back! Thank you all for all of your criticism and support, I take it to heart, and I'll use it to the best of my ability to make my fic better! So, as a lot of people mentioned, I did realize the mecha aspect of the other story seemed more prevalent than the talents of the actual fighters themselves, and that was one of the reasons I had decided to rewrite the story. The suit, I suppose, will be nothing more than a high-tech prosthesis, at least, I'll try to keep it that way, but it does have some sort of part, just like the Saiyaman suit in the canon universe.

Also, just like in Dad, I'll See You Soon, I'll confess that I used Rias Gremory, from Highschool DxD, as my base for Lime's appearance. (If you don't know who she is, Google her, she's friggin hot!) At least, that's how I imagine Lime in her late teens.

_**Disclaimer: All copyrighted materials belong to their respective owners.**_

_Chapter 2: New Developments_

* * *

"_A bombing late this afternoon occurred within an upper-class shopping district in the heart of Satan City," _the anchorwoman said on the news program, showing on a large, flat-panel television. Son Gohan reclined on the couch, lazily reading another mystery novel while half-listening to the headlines. When he'd left the city with Lime almost three hours before, the place was in a state of panic and confusion. It hadn't taken long before conspiracy theories had surfaced on the internet either. _"According to city officials, there have been at least ten injured civilians and six declared dead, while the alleged perpetrators were found disarmed and unconscious, with one dead. Property damage has totaled almost three and a half million zeni."_

Gohan cringed, the number of zeroes forming in his mind. He'd meant to divert attention, not completely destroy the area. _"Witnesses to the event say that an armoured man of unknown affiliation was the first to arrive on the scene while the victims report that he was the one who saved them from an unidentified, carnivorous creature. It was also reported that Satan City's own Videl Satan had arrived on the scene where she-"_

"You really know how to cause a commotion, don't you, Gohan?" Lime sighed, turning the television to a romantic drama she'd been interested in. He glanced up from his book, finding her sitting next to him. Her head fell on his shoulder, giving him a faint smell of her citrus scented shampoo. A string of her black tank top fell over her shoulder, revealing some of her ample cleavage and the top of her black, strapless bra. He hastily turned his attention back to his book to avoid staring noticeably, a faint tinge of red dusting his cheeks. "If Mom saw that, she'd have a fit, you know. It's bad enough she's against the very notion of having a blonde-haired, blue-eyed son."

"What was that?" he asked dumbly. For a moment, she diverted her attention from her program to look him in the eyes.

"You didn't hear a word I said, did you?" she sighed again. As a force of habit, inherited from his father, he began scratching the back of his neck while grinning like an idiot. She fought the urge to smile herself. "Damn it, Gohan! Don't give me that stupid grin! It's too infectious!"

"Sorry, sorry," he replied with a chuckle. "I heard the 'causing a scene,' but not the other part."

"You're just helpless, aren't you?" she asked, playfully hitting his shoulder.

"In some senses, yes," he nodded seriously. "But for anything I don't know, I can always go to you, **senpai**."

"Just don't embarrass me," she replied dismissively, turning her attention back to the program.

There was an awkward silence. Gohan glanced at the scene playing. It was a high school drama, and, apparently, the heroine, a tall, blonde beauty with green eyes, was confessing her love to the hero, who was supposedly a plain boy with some kind of secret life or identity or something. He hadn't really paid attention whenever she forced him to watch it with her before. Music to emphasize the romantic atmosphere filled the living room. His eyes fell upon her once again. Her blue-green eyes were sparkling with excitement as she watched it intently. Her hands were clasped together, her lips smiling in anticipation. _I wonder how she'd respond if I tried something like that,_ he wondered. A light laugh, one that went unnoticed by her, escaped his lips. _No, I doubt it. I'm just her dense little brother, probably… Oh, here he comes…_

At that point, Goten came bounding into the room through the open front door, stopping just as the two main characters embraced for a kiss. "Eww!" he screeched, sticking out his tongue childishly. "Those two people are doing kissy kissy stuff on T.V! That's gross!"

The older Son boy snickered as Lime shot straight up, startled by the sudden and unexpected loud sound. She jumped into his lap, burying her face in his chest while clinging to his shirt. "God, Goten, stop popping up on people like that!" she grumbled, poking her head over his shoulder. The small boy's eyes widened. "You're going to give me a heart attack…"

"Sorry, Nii-chan, Lime!" he apologized hastily. Both Gohan and Lime locked glances with each other, confused by his sudden apology, before turning back to the young boy.

"Why are you apologizing, Squirt?" Gohan asked. "It's not like you did anything wrong." He shook his head vehemently, apparently ready to bolt up the stairs.

"Mommy said that I shouldn't disturb you two when you're alone. She said that it'll lower her chances of grandchildren," he explained as-a-matter-of-factly. Their eyes locked again for a few moments before the two teenagers broke down with a bout of giggles.

"What's with all the commotion going on here?" Chi-Chi asked suspiciously, emerging from the kitchen while brandishing her trusty "Anti-Saiyan" frying pan, as Vegeta called it. Her eyes fell on the two on the couch, Lime still clutching onto her eldest's shirt, with the romantic drama playing on the television. Her brown eyes began sparkling excitedly as she completely misread the situation. It disappeared just as quickly when she noticed locks of Goku-like hair creeping toward the stairs.

"Goten? You weren't bothering Gohan and Lime, were you?" she asked. The young boy squeaked, sprinting as fast as he could up the stairs. She sighed, turning back to them. "So what were you two doing?"

"Ah," Lime began while hastily climbing off Gohan's lap. Her flushed face didn't go unnoticed by the Son matriarch, who decided to stay silent and hear the explanation. "We were-"

"Goten just startled us while we were watching T.V, Mom," Gohan replied calmly. "It's not really a big deal."

"Is that so?" his mother asked suspiciously. They nodded. "Alright, dinner is ready, you two. Tell that little monster to clean up."

Chi-Chi sighed as she watched her eldest son and surrogate daughter talking to each other. Memories of her time with Goku ran through her mind as she watched the redheaded girl feed Gohan with her spoon. Slight irritation crossed her face. They needed a simple push, of that she was sure. Her motherly instincts guaranteed it, yet they were both unwilling to take the step she'd been so willing to take. _If Bulma managed to land that stupid Vegeta, how can my son not do what he should have done a long time ago? _She grumbled to herself.

* * *

Her attention turned to her other son, who was usually busy eating whatever landed in his reach. To her surprise, he was staring blankly at his filled plate, obviously disturbed by something. Furrowing her brows in confusion, she opened her mouth to speak, but Gohan beat her to it. "Hey Squirt, what's wrong? You haven't touched your food." The small boy turned to him, seemingly going through a revelation.

"I'm confused," he replied.

"Confused? About what?"

"How are babies made, Nii-chan?" he asked bluntly and innocently. Chi-Chi and Lime both fought hard to keep in their laughter as Gohan choked on a piece of meat. Coughing filled the room, the boy desperately reaching for his glass of water while being observed closely by his younger brother. "Are you okay, Nii-chan?"

"What?" he wheezed. His face was flushed and a layer of cold sweat covered his forehead. "What brought that on, Squirt?"

"Mommy is always talking about you and Lime having babies so-"

It was Lime's turn to choke on her food, aquamarine eyes wide with surprise. The surprise from both teens quickly turned into embarrassment. Gohan shakily handed her the glass of water, of which she took greedy gulps. _Good job, Goten! I'll make you a cake later, _Chi-Chi cheered inwardly.

"M-Mom!" Gohan exclaimed. They all turned to her. One set of expectant eyes and two sets of panicked ones. "W-Why are you talking about something like that in front of Goten?"

"What's wrong with talking about the inevitable?" she replied calmly. "As long as I see a grandchild by the age of fifty, I'm alright if it's you two."

"No! No! No!" Lime cried, shaking her head. Their faces were redder than the tomatoes in the salad. "That's not something you should be advocating! We still have school, and college! And what about getting married!? Isn't there an order to these kinds of things?"

"So you two are going to get married, then?" she teased. Gohan choked again, his red face transforming to a ghastly shade of white from the lack of oxygen circulating in his system. He stared at her incredulously, trying to maintain a calm exterior, but failing miserably. Goten cocked his head to the side, still waiting for the answer to his question. "I don't know if my wedding dress would fit you, though."

"Mom!" they exclaimed. She sighed.

"What's wrong with a joke?"

"There's a point when jokes go too far, Mom," he grumbled. "I might have a heart attack if you keep joking like that…"

"You're young and healthy! You should be able to deal with it just fine!"

"No… I think you're overestimating my resilience just a tad bit…"

* * *

"To think that they managed to get out with specimens thirty and thirty-one… just what is with the lax security around here?" a man, dressed in a formal black suit, sighed. On the desk before him lay the police report from the bank bombing in Satan City. The room was dark, with the only light coming from the security footage confiscated from the building. His blue eyes watched the screen intently, his finger gently gliding to the pause button on the remote. With his other hand, he lifted the small glass of bourbon to his mouth, taking a long swig of the drink. "It's too bad that there's no audio with this video. This, "hero", it would be nice to-"

"I'd appreciate if you didn't sit at my desk and imitate my mannerisms, Colonel," a harsh, curt, remark wafted over to the man. His relaxed posture immediately disappeared as a stunningly beautiful, raven haired woman in her mid-forties walked through the automatic sliding doors, elegantly flipping the switch. Like the man, she was clad in formal dress, a white blouse covered by a blazer. Her mini-skirt was cut at the side showed her snow-white legs. The lights flickered for a split second before shining with an amazing brilliance. Her azure eyes glared at the man, who stood up and saluted. "At ease. Now get away from my things."

"General! I thought you were still in the defense meeting," he exclaimed. She snorted, irritated, as she fell into the plush office chair.

"Those old, greedy bastards?" she replied flatly, dumping the glass of alcohol in a potted plant beside the desk. "They wouldn't listen to a word I said. They're all glued on the idea that using that recovered data from seven years ago would provide 'a way to combat' those contestants from the Cell Games and the extraterrestrial threat's we've encountered. Today's fiasco was enough to prove that it is in no way working. Six civilians dead, huh?"

"Ma'am, if I may…"

"What is it, Colonel?"

He flinched at her icy cold tone. The General had once said that she had raised a child. Given her harsh, curt personality and swift, efficient manner of accomplishing tasks, he found it hard to believe. "A-Anyways, I analyzed the video footage like you asked and dispatched an investigation team to the crime scene," he explained. Her lone reaction was a twitch of her eyebrow, signaling him to continue. "W-Well, there was no trace of either specimen in the vault. And our- erm- 'Metal… Man?' seems to have completely obliterated both of them."

"And the significance of this information is?"

"W-Well, if we compare it with footage of the Cell Games, then it matches the method the 'Delivery Boy' used to dispatch Cell."

A small, dangerous smirk spread across her face. "Oh? Are you telling me that there's a possibility that our John Doe is the 'Delivery Boy' all grown up? Or, maybe, he could be related somehow to the unnamed contestants?" she asked, rewinding the footage to the moment that the fragments of the two serpent-like creatures disappeared. "What happened after that?" The Colonel flipped through the pages of the report until he arrived on the last one.

"According to witness accounts, that was about the time Videl Satan arrived on the scene," he continued. Her eyes widened slightly. "Ma'am? Is there something wrong?" She shook her head, waving for him to continue. "She proceeded to engage him, but the altercation was quickly ended with a sonic shockwave, which destroyed anything fragile within four hundred meters. Since there was no fuel or emissions trail, we can assume another method was used to reach that kind of speed."

"Are you sure it wasn't another bomb?" she asked suspiciously.

"That's what we thought at first as well, but when we received the police report, it states that 'there was another loud explosion followed by the air around them distorting, before the glass shattered,' which is consistent with the aftereffects of that type of shockwave."

"I see…"

"Ma'am, we both know that Mister Satan wasn't the one who destroyed Cell, but to chase the 'Delivery Boy' himself is just-"

"It's not as fruitless as you think," she interrupted. "Those old bags keep insisting that there was simply a design flaw within Cell, and that its personality can be reprogrammed, according to what little we have of Dr. Gero's research. I don't think so. Even if we were to be able to create something similar to it, we would have no way of controlling it."

"So you want to run tests on a boy who's probably no older than your daughter right now?" he yelled incredulously. "Never mind that! Just finding him will be something akin to a wild goose chase! An urban legend! And what if he puts up resistance!?" They were silent for a moment. The Colonel was breathing heavily from his rant as the air conditioning unit hummed in the background.

"Are you calm now, Colonel?" she asked calmly. There was no response. "First, I would advise that you watch your tone with your superiors. Second, this 'Cellular Recreation Project' to recreate Cell, or rather, clones based on Cell's genome, is asking for an early version of the rapture, apocalypse, Armageddon, and whatnot. This boy, he's definitely not human. I've shown you the videos of the Cell Games, correct?" He nodded. "His body as well as those of some of the other unidentified fighters produced bio-electricity. And I doubt that a mere human child could survive being thrown straight through a crumbling mountain with only a scratch on his head. It's impossible for any human, at least, as we know it."

"But it's still-"

"Possible," she finished.

"What?"

"We have a lead now. Our lead is this battle suit," she explained, pointing to the screen. "There are too many coincidences for them to be isolated incidents. Even if there is a general consensus on what seems to be the best choice, there always has to be another voice looking for an alternative, do you understand? I want you to investigate every weapons company in the country. Find anything that might lead you to the pilot's, or suit's, whereabouts."

"Yes, General Tenshi," he saluted once more. Tenshi Ange chuckled inwardly, her azure eyes turning back to the television screen. _Of course, even I'm not sure if this will work out._

* * *

Gohan let out a tired yawn at the chime of the lunch bell. As he'd expected, his first day at school hadn't at all been interesting, or challenging, for that matter. The teachers were eager to quiz him to see how much he knew and his new classmates stole glances at him every few minutes. It seemed as if everyone around him had been more excited than himself. Perhaps transfer students weren't as common as he thought they were.

_My head is still a little sore, _he mused, reading off the schedule he'd been given. _Maybe doing that wasn't such a good idea, even as a joke._

_-Five Hours Earlier-_

"_You look like hell, Gohan! What the hell happened to you?" Lime exclaimed, reeling at the sight of the half-Saiyan's dead expression. She was dressed in the school's uniform, a pressed blue skirt that reached mid-thigh, and a white blouse completed by a blue string-like bowtie. He, on the other hand, was still in a grey tank top and sweat pants with his blanket wrapped messily around his waist, ambling in no particular direction. "Um… Gohan, that's the wall…"_

"_Huh?" he replied dumbly before his forehead hit the wall with a loud thud. "Who put that there?"_

"_Moron," she sighed._

"_Son Gohan! If I find you still asleep in your bed, I won't think twice about giving your breakfast to Icarus! Lime, is he awake?" Chi-Chi called from the foot of the staircase._

"_Partially!" the redhead replied, equally loud in volume._

"_Partially!?"_

"_He just crashed into the wall, Mom!" She turned to the boy in question, who had gained a little more awareness. He was clumsily unwrapping the blanket from his waist with one hand while pulling off his shirt with his other. He tripped on a corner and stumbled back onto his futon. She giggled lightly._

"_Go away, Mister Sun…" he grumbled. "I don't want to go yet."_

"_C'mon, big guy," Lime sighed again, hoisting the futon to the side. He rolled off onto the hardwood floor. "Your high school debut starts today. You don't want to miss that, do you?" He grumbled something else, pulling the blanket back over his body, accidentally pulling her with it. His arm wrapped around her. "God damn it, Gohan! Let me go!"_

"_You forgot that I was in the wilderness for six months, Mom," he replied, slurring his words together. "I can sleep just about anywhere."_

'_And as luck will have it, Mom will walk in at any moment,' she thought ominously to herself, carefully accessing the situation while trying to free herself from his vise-like embrace. 'And this can end two ways.' Her prediction had been correct. Chi-Chi barged into the room, loudly and gracelessly, all while brandishing her frying pan, the second time in the past twenty-four hours._

"_Son Gohan! Wake up this inst-" Her eyes widened when she noticed the two on the floor. The younger woman smiled sheepishly, offering a small, weak wave. "Am I interrupting something here?"_

"_I-It's not what you think!" she cried desperately. Her face matched her hair perfectly. Even worse for her, there was no place for her to hide from her embarrassment. "I only came in here to wake him up!" Her plea fell upon deaf ears._

"_Just make sure it's a girl! And make sure you're not late for school!" the Son matriarch smiled gently, slowly closing the door behind her. "Perhaps I should buy some red rice for tonight."_

"_Damn it, Gohan!" she screamed loudly enough for him to hear. "Wake the hell up and clear this thing up with your mother!" He yelped instantly, his reflexes sending him to the other side of the room. She was beyond irritated at the moment._

"_W-When did you get here, Lime?" he asked weakly. He could hardly suppress himself, seeing the cute embarrassed expression on her face. She pouted, crossing her arms over her chest._

"_I stayed the night, remember!?" she shouted. He laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "Oh, no you don't!" He gave her a confused stare, tilting his head slightly to the side. "I will __**not**__ fold to that stupid grin of yours!"_

"_But I wasn't-"_

"_No 'buts'! Mom said that breakfast is ready, so we need to go downstairs."_

"_A-Ah, sorry if I got you mad…"_

_Lime froze. She could feel her anger fade as she laid eyes on his dejected expression, one that had an apology and regret written all over it. Her fist instinctively tightened as she tried to maintain a firm stance in the situation, albeit failing miserably. "Lime?" he called out. "Is there something on my face? You're staring really hard." She blushed, quickly turning away._

"_N-No! I was just thinking about how I just can't stay mad at you…"_

_He laughed. "I see… um… I'm going to get changed now. I'll meet you downstairs." _

_She nodded, getting out of the volatile situation as fast as she could. 'If I stayed in there any longer, I'm afraid I just might have turned into her daughter-in-law!'_

_The camera flashed as Gohan took the final step on the stairs, making him flinch at the unexpected action. Both Bulma and his mother were in the living room to greet him. A small, weak sigh escaped his lips as the camera flashed several more times from various directions. "My baby boy is taking his first steps into society!" Chi-Chi gushed. His eyes locked with Bulma, who mouthed him a silent apology._

"_It's tight," he complained. He was dressed in Orange Star's male uniform, black slacks and a black blazer. His white shirt was unbuttoned at the top while the black tie hung loosely around his neck. The clothes all fit his form perfectly, leaving the impression of athletic while still hiding most of his physique. "I can't really do much in this. Did you really have to deal with this too, Bulma?"_

"_Can't say that I didn't kiddo," came the genius's reply._

"_Gohan! What's with that sloppy appearance? Your tie is too loose and your shirt isn't fully buttoned! Do you want people to think that you're a delinquent on your first day?" Chi-Chi asked, straightening them out. He gagged when she adjusted his clothes, making it too tight around his neck._

"_Chi, I think you're killing him…"_

"_Relax! Those Saiyan genes that husband of yours always brags about shouldn't fold to something like this," she replied, finally letting go. As fast as she'd tightened it, Son Gohan had loosened it, preparing a defensive stance to protect himself from the strangling. The other two women laughed._

"_It's fine, Mom," he pleaded. "I don't look that sloppy." She was about retort, eyeing her son up and down. There was nothing wrong with his appearance, at the moment. A small, conceding sigh escaped her lips as she crossed her arms over her chest. "See? I don't think I'll get into any trouble like this, but I could always do this…" There was a flash of golden light. Before them was Gohan in his first stage Super Saiyan form, his emerald eyes and golden hair glimmering like the morning dew outside. Birds perched on the roof of the Son residence scattered as a shrill scream echoed through the peaceful, rural valley._

At the same time, Videl eyed the transfer student carefully, taking meticulous mental notes on every little movement he made. As a natural born investigator, and partially due to her family's situation, she didn't like not knowing someone and it certainly didn't help that he seemed to be a guarded person.

"Videl," a girl's voice called out. There was no response. "Videl!" The result was the same. The girl sighed, moving some of her short, blonde hair away from her eyes before tapping her friend on the shoulder. The pig-tail raven-haired girl jumped at the unexpected contact as she turned to glare at the offender, who laughed it away. "Geez, you've been staring at Son-kun since third period. Could it be love at first sight?"

"Erasa! When did you get here?" she exclaimed. "Oh wait, you sit next to me…"

"C'mon! We should go get him before one of the other girls do!"

"Get who?"

"Son-kun!"

"Why?"

Erasa sighed. For a moment, she stared at her friend, wondering exactly how dense she could be. "I've heard that girls from other classes are coming to meet him," she explained. "Apparently, he scored perfectly on the entrance exams. There are rumors that he's the heir of a major company too." Videl reeled for a moment.

"Isn't Orange Star's entrance exam the hardest in the country?" she asked, partially disbelieving. Her blonde friend nodded. "How can someone get perfect scores? I studied for months before that test and I only got an average score! Wait… heir of a major company? What is this, some sort of romance or girly novel?" Her eyes fell back on him. "The last time we had a transfer student, I don't remember any rumors like that going around."

"One of the teachers confirmed that he got perfect scores after I heard the headmaster saying that," she replied. "As for the other rumors, Son-kun has some never-before-seen things like cell phones and electronic pens."

"What's so interesting about those?" the raven haired girl asked, failing to suppress the bored look spread across her face. "As long as it can make calls or, well, write, who cares how fancy it is?"

"I noticed that he wears training gauntlets like you do," Erasa whispered, wiggling her eyebrows for emphasis. The word "gauntlets" gained Videl's rapt attention as her gaze snapped to his wrists. Subtle, black metal wristbands adorned his wrists, the supposed concept version of training gear that acted as extra weight to increase movement speed and power, while maintaining the functions of wrist watch, cell phone, and biometric reader. For months after they had been announced by the exclusive, and elusive, Capsule Corporation, she had dreamed of getting them upon release and had even applied to become one of the beta testers for the item, depressed for almost a week when she was denied. They still weren't available on the market. The blonde sighed. "Seriously, you're such a battle nut, Vi."

Videl grumbled slightly as she allowed herself to be pulled toward the new student by her friend. The closer she got, the more uncomfortable she felt about the whole situation. As Erasa chattered away with Gohan, she watched him nod when it seemed appropriate and reply with short, vague answers whenever it came to himself or his background. The more she observed him, the less she liked him.

"Oh! Did you know-" Erasa began. Videl sighed. It was typical, the introduction of the one and only daughter of the World's Savior, Videl Satan. They would gush, pretend to act super nice, and try to befriend her to get closer to the man himself. "We have the World Savior's daughter in our class! Isn't that a surprise?"

His eyes turned to her, seemingly piercing through her body. A cold chill ran down her spine as her courage seemed to disperse under his gaze. His didn't speak for a moment, making the situation rather awkward for her. "It's nice to meet you? I didn't know he had a daughter?" he half-asked. She reeled back in surprise, unused to a calm greeting from an unknown, but Gohan mistook it as offense. "I-I'm sorry! I'm not good at introductions, so I –uh…"

Videl blinked. Erasa snickered in the background. It took her a moment to understand the situation. He had absolutely no clue who she was? Was he from the wilderness? Even though she had expected an exuberant greeting, her pride had taken a blow from his less-than-awed reaction. How could he not know? "I thought that his kids would have been –er- hairier?" he continued tactlessly, scratching his chin thoughtfully. She could see red now. Was that supposed to be an insult?

"What was that now?" she growled. He laughed nervously, mentally slapping himself for his previous comment.

"Sorry! I just let that out on accident! I didn't mean anything by it!" he replied, only making the situation worse. "I was just surprised."

Erasa noticed his discomfort instantly, grabbing her friend by the wrist to calm her down. Azure eyes darted from emerald to black. "Gohan-kun's just a little shy, Videl. I don't think he's trying to insult you," she explained. Videl's eyebrow twitched curiously.

"You're already calling him by his given name? That's a little-"

"It's fine!" he interrupted. She gave him a quizzical look. "Formality makes me feel uncomfortable. I'm not really used to school, so I don't want to feel more isolated than I already am."

"Speaking of which, you said that you transferred in, but if you were capable of getting perfect scores, why didn't you just apply last year instead of halfway through the first year? They would have welcomed some nerd like you with open arms," the blonde girl asked curiously, with spite and jealousy obvious in her tone. He seemed to carefully think about his response, opening and closing his mouth a few times before he spoke up.

"I was in the middle of something and my Mom decided that it would be a nice change of pace for me to go to school," he explained. "She called me a 'socially inept idiot,' and low and behold, here I am! So all of this is kind of new to me."

"You were home schooled until now?" Videl asked skeptically. Now disbelief was written across her face. This guy couldn't be for real, could he? "What? Were your parents college professors or something?" He laughed again, but it seemed more uncomfortable than before. His eyes shifted left to right under her gaze. From working with Bulma, he could tell that this girl was evaluating him, as if he were the prey and she, the predator.

"Not that I know of," he replied honestly. It was bad enough that rumors were already circulating, some of which wouldn't be easy to clear up. He could feel a large cluster of Chi approaching the classroom as well and let out a dejected sigh. His bid for an anonymous high school debut had been officially shattered. "My mom is just really strict about my education."

"Then that must mean you're some kind of genius, right?" Erasa gushed. "If I ever need help with my homework I should ask you, right?"

"I-I don't see why not?"

"Where are you from?"

They turned to Videl again, who had officially gone into her full blown full "detective mode." To her, his supposed "act" was too unnatural. There was no one her age this polite, or clueless, for that matter. He was shy, she understood, but almost everything seemed fabricated. With her power, she could go through the student directory and find his address, to check if he was actually telling the truth, but it was best she get his testimony first. _I don't like him one bit. He's hiding something._

"I live pretty far away from here, so it's kind of pointless if I tell you. It's not really a well known region anyways," he replied.

"I travel a lot, so I might know it, so where do you live?" Erasa pressed curiously.

"You're going to think I'm crazy, so it'd probably be better not to say," he chuckled weakly. This only piqued her interest more, her hard gaze hardening.

"Oh?"

"Know what? Just forget I said that…"

"Videl!" the black haired girl's friend admonished angrily. "Can you not go into that stupid detective mode for once? At least talk to him before you start interrogating him!"

"It's fine, I suppose," he assured her, waving his arms for emphasis. "There's no harm in it, at least, I don't think."

"So you'll answer me then?" she asked. He nodded. "Then where are you from?"

"Well, I come from the 439 Mountain Region, but-"

"The 439 Mountain Region!? Isn't that almost six hours by jet-copter!? That's all the way in the sticks! Why would you come so far just to go to school?" she exclaimed. The rest of the class fell silent, staring intently at her. After an apologetic laugh, most of the class resumed their activities, leaving the three of them back at the topic.

"Jet-Copters are expensive. Is your family rich?" she pressed further. He shook his head again.

"I think we do alright," he replied with little thought. She flinched at the undertone, which told her that it had been too personal of a question. "I don't commute from there. I live with a friend and return home on vacations; well, that's the plan anyways…"

"It's hard to believe that you know someone all the way out here. After all, the nearest village from the practically barren 439 Region is one hundred kilometers away," she stated factually. He frowned while letting out an irritated sigh.

"Can I ask you a question?" he asked, any familiarity gone from his voice. She thought about it for a moment before deciding to humour him, nodding to affirm his request. "If you're going to try to disprove everything I say, then why ask any questions at all? I'm quite patient, but I don't like it when people try to make me look stupid, or like a liar. So if you'd please, I'd like to end this interrogation right now."

She was absolutely speechless as he stormed off silently, with a menacing glare directed at her. There were too many first experiences for the day. He exited the classroom, ignoring the group of girls who had come from the other classes to meet him, brushing past them as if they were flies. Erasa sighed beside her, cursing her friend's nosy personality. She turned to her blonde friend, confused.

"You're really great, you know that, Vi?"

* * *

And that's a wrap! If you can, please tell me how I'm doing, but don't make it so that it's just downright hate like "You're stupid" or "This story is stupid, you should stop writing it" and things that really don't contribute to possibly making it enjoyable for the writer and the people who actually find it interesting. You're not needed on this site if you can only make hate for other people's works. Anyways, thanks for reading!

Transparentchaos signing out!


	3. Chapter 3

Welcome back everyone! It's been a while, since I've been developing the details of the story more fluidly and planning out more about it. So, just a note, Gohan, while he will have a lot of aspects and personality traits that are similar to how he was in Dragon Ball Z, will have a more serious and calculating personality, like when he was fighting Perfect Cell. His abilities will be within the realm of Mystic Gohan. Anyways, this is Chapter 3!

Quick word of warning, there will be some original characters in here, hopefully not that many, and those that do have an actual role in the story progression and the growth of Gohan relationships and maturity. So let's see if you can guess who I based this added character off of. (Hint: It's a really popular anime that originated from a light novel that originated from a web novel about escape.)

_**Disclaimer: Dragon Ball Z and any other character designs associated with other anime/manga/light novels (believe me, there will be a lot, but their relation is only in appearance) belong to their respective owners.**_

Chapter 3: Pulling it Together

* * *

"Just how many kinds of stupid are you!?" Lime huffed, crossing her arms over her chest as she admonished him. Gohan laughed as dictated by his father's genes.

"I didn't know there're different kinds of stupid," he replied, leaning against the fencing that separated him from falling off the roof. His clothes moved with the wind, his jacket unbuttoned and the top buttons of hit shirt undone. His tie had disappeared at some point during the morning, and he'd resolved to find it at later. "You'll have to teach me them later."

"There are! And you just blew through every category, with flying colors! It's okay to fail some tests, you know! You just did something that could end your life as you know it!" she exclaimed half seriously and half sarcastically. Her aquamarine gems for eyes turned to the view Orange Star High provided over Satan City atop its lofty acropolis as she stood beside him. "For some reason, being Videl Satan is tantamount to being a god. Maybe it's because she's the daughter of the 'World's Savior'…"

"Are you trying to make me jealous?" he asked smartly. She shook her head, her vibrant crimson hair flowing gently with the current of serene, springtime cherry blossoms. "Then what is it?"

"You've really never heard of her, have you?" she sighed again. Another sheepish chuckle was her reply. "Videl Satan is dangerous, and not because of her father, Gohan. She's like some sort of prodigious super-sleuth and works part time with Satan City's police force."

"So that's why she was at the scene yesterday," he mused absently.

"If you want that quiet life you're always talking about, you're really going the wrong way," she continued, staring at him incredulously. "Everyone's already saying that you're picking a fight with the daughter of the 'World's Savior', well, all the third-years, at least. At this rate, your secret might get blown sky high."

"I think you're blowing this way out of-"

"She has access to level one classified files within the world's government, basically 'Code A' status."

"Oh, well then…"

A look of astonishment spread across his face. A mere high school student had access to even the lowest of classified files on weapons, espionage, and politics? He had been about to reply when he remembered that his authorization was much greater, as the one who'd created the tiered classification system, and that he, himself, was a high school student with the highest rank of anyone beside Bulma. An intrigued chuckle escaped his lips, making Lime's expression darken.

"What?" he asked, quickly catching her light glare.

"I know that look. It's that stupid look Saiyans get when they get excited over a challenge," she replied. His hand shot up to his face, touching each of the muscles skeptically. He could hear her sigh under her breath. "Stupid..."

What the two friends missed were the sets of eyes observing them as they spoke. Even with the wild and dangerous rumors of Gohan spreading to every corner of the school, the air of mystery about him, coupled with his naive, boyish looks, intrigued the female portion of Orange Star's student body, even if temporarily. A group remained hushed, peeking through a crack in the door, intently observing the calm conversation between Lime and the new student.

"Hey," one girl began. "Do you think he knows Lime-senpai?" Another girl shrugged.

"They seem to be pretty calm," that girl observed. "Maybe they're dating?" The first girl seemed to not believe the suggestion, almost slapping the second girl in the back of her head.

"Lime-senpai?" she snorted. "Her standards are so high that I doubt Videl-san or even Mister Satan himself would even be able to reach them! Not to mention she's the fantasy of all the guys at this stupid school. Do you know how many confessions and repeat confessions she turns down, per day!? They don't call her the '_Ruin _Princess' for nothing, you know. Guys even break up with their girlfriends to confess to her!"

"But they look so natural together!" the first girl replied, pointing to their touching shoulders. "They're even touching!"

"Can I help you ladies?" Gohan asked suddenly, leaning against the other side of the door. They gasped, jumping back a little as he smiled politely, contrast to the almost hawk-like stare of his grey eyes. Lime was standing next to him, her arms still crossed over her chest as she stared them down, almost predatorily. Her angry glower made them shrink back. "You seem to have been talking about us."

"Y-You heard us?" the first girl exclaimed, adjusting her glasses. He nodded with a look that told her that he heard the important parts. _But he was all the way across the roof! Speaking of which, how did he even appear like that!? It's like he teleported!_

It was then that another girl spoke up, holding out a microphone for Gohan and Lime to speak into. "S-Son-kun, I know that you just transferred today. I'm Azumi Chihiro with the newspaper club," she explained after finding a part of her lost voice. He glanced at her curiously, but before he could reply, she spoke up again. "Are you and Lime-senpai dating?"

Both of them choked, a reaction that didn't go unnoticed by the two other girls. Lime turned a faint dusting of red, but maintained most of her normal composure. Gohan, on the other hand, simply laughed before he spoke. "Would it be a big deal if I was, Azumi-san?" he asked open-endedly, taking note of the girl taking notes in a handheld notebook. Something seemed to sparkle in her eyes with his reply.

"I-Idiot! Stop that!" Lime exclaimed quickly.

"So that means you are!?" Azumi inquired with excitement rising in her voice.

"W-Well, no, but-"

"But what?"

"W-We're more of friends that go really, really far back."

"I see… I see…"

The demi-Saiyan glanced at the pad, using his enhanced vision to read her writing. It looked a lot like headlines, despite the sloppy, illegible mess. There didn't seem to be any harm, but Lime seemed to be frozen in her spot, seemingly dreading his lack of tact. The girl, Azumi Chihiro, didn't even stop, leaping up from her spot on the floor as she jovially hopped down the flight of stairs, towing the glasses-wearing girl with her. A small chuckle escaped his lips at the comedy of the situation.

"Idiot! Do you know what you just did?" Lime exclaimed, panicked. He began to panic because of her. Realizing that, she stopped and took deep breaths. "I have a bad reputation at this school, Gohan. You just made yourself the enemy of all men here because of it."

"Oh come on," he laughed lightly, mulling over her words for a few seconds. She could see him freeze for a second. "You're over-exaggerating! I'm your best friend! There's nothing bad about that." She sighed again for the umpteenth time. It hadn't even been four hours since the boy she'd called her brother and romantic interest had stepped into the school, and he was already creating trouble for himself, her, and everyone else. Even if she'd wished for a school life as interesting as her private life, she didn't want something like the rumor mill turning before anything even happened.

The ground around them suddenly shook. A dry, ashen scent wafted over to them under particles of ugly, grey debris. They completely forgot their previous encounter, turning to the Civic Center, more specifically, the building the International Union of Peace, where a pillar of smoke rose from the ground a few kilometers from Orange Star. Making eye contact, Lime immediately closed and blocked the access door with her body as Gohan dashed forward toward the ledge, vaulting over the protective fencing with ease. "Go! Go! GO!" he shouted as the experimental armor released in a flash of light.

Mid-air, he coiled like a striking snake, gathering his energy until it hit a breaking point. In an awe-inspiring moment, Lime saw the air around him distort again, exploding from his waist as he shot forward like a rocket, leaving a massive trail of white smoke in his wake. This time, no windows shattered. The shockwave had been contained. There hadn't even been a sound. She wanted to shout her encouragement. She wanted to show him that she was there, even in spirit. By then, he was already far away, the white streak announcing his imminent arrival.

* * *

For Bulma Briefs, it definitely wasn't her day. The suit that she and Gohan had developed in secret was officially out in the open, and the Union, a coalition of nations tasked with world peace and policing, had called an emergency meeting on how to deal with it, since no company, including her own, took responsibility for the weapon. The Son "sense of duty" really got on her nerves, but she figured that if they hadn't done it, no one would have.

She sighed, leaning back in her chair, absently fiddling with the fountain pen in her hand as she quietly took note of the other people in the building, mostly pompous, rich CEO's and big-shot politicians. The only one who stood out was neatly dressed and completely calm, even over the din of the arguing and threatening that led nowhere. Her black hair was brushed neatly. Her black, designer suit was immaculate. _Tenshi, huh? _She thought to herself. _I've heard of her, the "Spartan of the Battlefield", if I remember correctly. If she's here, that means this has elevated to Orange status._

She was brought out of her bored musings when three men exploded through the front door, completely devoid of breath and unreasonably panicked. The entire room stopped its activity, staring curiously at them as they gathered themselves. Bulma knew something was up the moment they arrived. "B-Bomb!" one of them shouted. "T-There's a bomb! Genesis has launched its attack on the building!"

A sense of panic set in as the room full of rich people began to scatter about, searching for the exits. They didn't make it. Rather, they were captured by men in full military dress who filtered in through the only entrance and exit. Seeing a gun pointed directly at her, Bulma grabbed her attacker's wrist, flipping it over her head as the light fixture above her exploded. With her other hand, she flipped a hidden switch on her cell phone. At the same time, an explosion knocked them off their feet.

Gohan's eyes widened as his heads-up display went red, danger and warning signs exploding all over the place. An S.O.S signal from Bulma had been broadcast over a secure line. In the corner of his visor, a small arrow appeared at the edge of his map. There was smoke coming from one of the exterior buildings, located opposite of her, in the back of the expansive complex, with people rushing out, screaming. He took a deep breath, hovering one hundred meters above the scene, resolving to take care of them first.

Inside, it was literal hell, perhaps worse; Gohan had thought as he searched quickly for survivors amongst the smoke, fire, ash, and falling rubble. The bomb had detonated in one of the more populated buildings. As he approached the epicenter, more and more people had been killed, their bodies strewn about the desks and floors. There hadn't been a chance at survival for anyone within fifty horizontal meters of the explosion. Outside, gunfire and terrified screams made him grind his teeth. If he left, any possible survivors in the building would have all hope lost. He growled, using his abilities to scan for life.

The faint sound of crying caught his attention as he quickly combed the floor directly above the center of the explosion, the last one. As quickly as he could, he rushed toward its source. It was a young woman with waist length chestnut coloured hair and brown eyes. Her face was thin and pale with thin, pink lips. Her grey business suit was torn, one of her pant legs gone, exposing her long, silky legs. She was crouched on the floor, covering something from a pile of cement that had fallen with her back. There was a small Chi with her, almost unnoticeable, an infant child. She turned to him, terrified by his menacing appearance.

"Get away!" she screamed weakly, coughing from the inhalation of too much smoke. He noticed her stagger slightly. A piece of metal had pierced her thigh. "Get away!"

She was surprised to find the helmet retract, showing a teenage boy with mild looks, wild black hair, and sharp, grey eyes. He offered his hand to her accompanied by a comforting smile. There was a falter in her reaction. "Please save my child," she requested desperately. The pain on his face from her request was evident as he shook his head. "What the hell do you mean, no!?"

"You're both coming," he replied calmly, slinging her over his shoulder despite her protests while cradling the child in his other arm. Taking care not to irritate her wound, he darted through the debris while keeping alert of any other survivors. "We're getting you out of here. Your baby will be fine too."

A group of Chi was fast approaching the main entrance. He slid to a stop around the corner of a corridor, gently placing the woman and her child on the floor and against a wall. He told her to stay quiet, and to keep the baby as quiet as possible. There was a camera in the corner, pointing directly at the door. The computer hacked into it as the helmet returned to his face, allowing him to obtain a visual of the thirty soldiers clad in black camouflage. Each of them had standard infantry equipment similar to that of the Royal Military of the World.

"Son of a-" he muttered under his breath as he stepped out into the open. Behind them he could see dead bodies on the floor, riddled with bullet holes. Pools of crimson blood poured onto the cement. None of them had even the remotest chance. He ground his teeth, tightening his fist so much that he would have drawn blood if it weren't for the armor. Under his helmet, his eyes flashed violently switching to teal, a tell-tale sign of the Super Saiyan transformation in progress. Vital scanners in his suit went into overdrive.

The guns fired upon him without warning, unloading a wave of metal on the suit. They all bounced off harmlessly, electrical sparks buzzing and dancing around him. "Overshield," he growled before he disappeared completely. He reappeared in front of one of the wing position men, swinging his leg in an upward arc that sent his target flying. In the recoil, he grabbed the gun hand of the next nearest man, forcing him to fire into his own foot before kicking the man in the chest, tearing his arm from the rest of his body.

Quickly, he grabbed the barrel of one of the automatic rifles, flipping over its owner, and ripped the weapon out of his hands. Gohan's finger twitched, unloading the rest of the magazine on the man before he used the butt of the weapon to attack another person's stomach. _Four down, _he thought to himself as they stepped back and readied their fire.

One equipped with a shotgun attacked him from behind, only to fire through an afterimage into two of his allies. The demi-Saiyan bounced off the ceiling using his own Chi to form curved blades on his forearms as he slashed straight down, cutting two targets cleanly in half. Pivoting his wrists on the tiled floor, he gathered his Chi in his feet and created similar blades at his heels as he spun around on the floor, removing the heads of four more. _Twelve down, _he counted mentally. There was a danger reading still in the corner of his display. Bulma's heart rate was elevated.

_Go burn in hell, _he glared angrily. _Suffer under the souls of those you so heinously murdered! _He released another explosion of energy, one that melted the guns in each soldier's hands, scalding and melting their skin as it fused with their melted, deformed weapons, turning them into makeshift handcuffs that could never be removed. Fearful, pained screams echoed throughout the lobby as he led the horrified woman out the front door.

There were still others in the other buildings. He caught a quick flash of light as he entered the main courtyard and tossed the woman into the air, appearing at the windows from where his enemies were firing, ten stories above the ground. His hands lit up with beautiful golden light that split into multiple spears, piercing the gunners at vital points. Within one second, he'd killed twenty more men, still managing to gently catch the woman and her child.

"Stay here, and take these," he commanded, releasing a black capsule as they crossed a parking lot. A black, heavy duty SUV with an armorized push bar and large, bulletproof off-road tires gleamed, as if it was in the proper setting for an appearance. "Get some oxygen into that child. There are also some pain killers in the back for you. I'll be back after I retrieve someone." She nodded as he placed her in the trunk of the car. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. "Don't worry. This thing can withstand hell itself. You're safe, as long as the doors are locked."

With that, he turned back to the main building, where Bulma was located. He calmed himself to track her Chi, exploding out of a cloud of dust and dirt seconds later. He burst through Plexiglas windows into a large conference room. There, he found Bulma fighting off one of the men as another woman fought off three at once. His shoulder panels rose. Small explosions sent sniper rounds at the four men, marking their targets with deadly accuracy.

He dashed forward, spinning as he knocked down the door violently, sending one more man behind it through the steel-reinforced wall at the other side of the corridor. Mid-air, a fragmentation grenade flew at him. He didn't think, nor did he hesitate, changing his orientation in the air, and returned it with his hand. The ground shook as he landed on one knee, with his fist in the carpet. The cement beneath the carpeting had, no doubt, been damaged.

The black haired woman who'd been fighting instantly commanded those in the room to follow the armored man, the ironic topic of discussion, if they wanted to survive. They agreed, quickly following as Gohan mercilessly laid waste to everything that he was sure was an enemy. Tenshi grabbed her phone and ordered her subordinates on standby to apprehend him when the threat level had subsided. She watched in mild surprise as the CEO of Capsule Corporation shot any of the leftovers with the firearm she'd stolen. _Well, that woman must have some sort of fighting ability if she's married to the "Most Dangerous Man in the World"._

The armored man disappeared for a moment, reappearing at the end of the hall. With skill that was difficult to find in recent years, he used his legs to bring down a rocket launcher while firing beams of golden energy that connected at point blank range, tearing the man apart. He disappeared again. The last three men, guarding the main lobby of that building were terminated faster than the eye could see, falling all in odd, impossible directions. They all emerged to a storm of news vans, SWAT teams, and local police, fire, and paramedics.

Those there to receive them fell silent as Gohan emerged from the front door with a piece of torn royal maroon drapery caught in the back of the chest plate of the suit, contrasting the matte black finish of the armor. His appearance was heroic, yet dark, with blood splattered on the polarized golden visor and right side of his body. Cheers erupted from the crowds as those from the building came out the front doors, slightly shaken, but almost wholly uninjured. Before any of the news crews could get a decent still shot, a blast of dust and gravel flew past them as he rocketed back into the air, away from the whole complex.

* * *

The woman awoke in a luxuriously furnished room. The bed in which she awoke was plush and soft, as the gentle sound of waves lapping against a beach filled her ears. She paused for a moment. The nearest beach was four hundred kilometers south of Satan City. With blurred vision, she turned to the window to find that the sun was setting over the horizon. Gulls circled the lighthouse at the edge of a cliff nearby. It was a scene straight out of a painting.

"I see you're awake," someone said. Her head snapped in the direction of voice. The boy from before was reclined in a seat on the other side of the room with a book in his hand. He was casually dressed in a white, button-up shirt and blue jeans. "That piece of metal was in a tricky spot. Luckily, we were able to remove it and patch you up since it didn't damage your femoral artery or any nerves. You'll heal up in a month or so, given that you have some physical therapy." She pulled up the sheets, finding her leg professionally bandaged.

"W-Who are you!?" she demanded. "Where's Hina!?" He scratched his cheek before chuckling to himself.

"I suppose it's rude that I haven't introduced myself," he replied calmly. She recoiled at the formality coming from a boy who couldn't be older than high school age. The last time she'd been conscious, he was tearing through a dangerous terrorist group like nothing. "I'm Son Gohan. Don't worry. Both you and Hina are safe, Miss… er…"

"Takanashi, Takanashi Sora," she said cautiously. _Could he be…?_ "Where are we?"

"Ah," he replied, as if going through a revelation. "We're at one of the villas owned by the Capsule Corporation president, Takanashi-san. I'd suggest that you two stay here for a while, at least until this whole situation dies down. Is there anyone you'd like me to contact?" She shook her head. "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes, so I'll be helping you down to the dining room."

"How long was I asleep, Son-san?" she asked just as he was about to leave. He seemed to think about it for a while. "I'd say, not including the surgery, four, maybe five hours? Not all that long, which is really impressive in and of itself."

Takanashi felt entirely out of place as she was helped into the lavish, expansive dining room, where her daughter was busily playing with a picture book. There, she found the stunning face of Capsule Corporation at the head of the table, waiting patiently for Gohan and her to arrive. She couldn't help but gasp.

"I suppose I should introduce myself as well since Gohan's probably done it already," the blue-haired woman said nonchalantly.

"N-No, that's not necessary, Briefs-san," she exclaimed nervously. "It would be very bad if I didn't know who you were!" The woman laughed lightly.

"I see…"

The food was brought out in full courses on expensive platters the moment she was set down at the table. Its presentation was exquisite. Even the small girl seemed to enjoy playing with the young man, tossing her food left and right, making a mess everywhere. "You're probably wondering why you're here, right?" Bulma asked suddenly. Takanshi's eyes widened, fear overtaking her, something the woman noticed instantly. "We're not going to do anything like threaten you or anything. I assume you saw Gohan in that suit, right?"

She nodded silently. The blue haired woman laughed lightly. "W-Why didn't you guys come out about something like that? That could change the world!"

"It's not my choice to do that," she replied calmly. "Gohan's the one who developed a majority of that system, I just provided the resources." She turned, stunned.

"T-Then t-that means that he's-"

"He's **that** Son Gohan. The one genius that no one has ever seen," she confirmed with a slight nod. The woman turned from her to the demi-Saiyan back to the CEO. "Cool, huh?"

"B-But I heard that Son Gohan was an elderly man who'd gone insane years ago!"

The teen coughed roughly, a wry grin spread across his face as he looked to his family's friend for an explanation. Bulma laughed weakly. "Oh, come on, Gohan. How many people would actually accept that a kid who should have been in grade school designed some of the most advanced computer software and medical equipment in this century?"

"You could have made me some sort of cool comic book character instead of an insane old man," he offered flatly. "This kind of hurts." He turned to the other woman at the table and smiled again. "Perhaps we should tell her why she's still here." With that, Bulma cleared her throat dutifully.

"Takanashi Sora-san, twenty-six years old, divorced, one child. Employed by the International Union's Internal Affairs department for four years as an information analyst, is that correct?" she asked. Upon confirmation, the blue-haired woman continued. "Seventy-two hours ago, your division received anonymous information about the extremist group known as 'Genesis' and their internal dealings within the Union. You were one of those in charge of filtering the information?"

"Y-Yes, but h-how did you-"

"I've been tracking them for a while," Gohan explained, typing something on his tablet PC, a model she'd never seen. From the middle of the table, a blue, holographic projection system rose up. "The files you received dealt with those employees in the Union who were providing Genesis with classified information, as well as those Genesis members working on the inside, but they were leaked, correct?" Takanashi nodded dumbly, trying to take in the absurdity of the situation, as if she were in the middle of a spy movie.

"As of last night, within ten weapons companies, including Capsule Corporation, an unknown software attempted to hack into databases," he explained swiftly and efficiently, bringing up the change logs in Capsule Corp's system. "We can only assume that they were searching for the blueprints to Project Super Sword, the armor you saw earlier, which doesn't exist in any networked server at all. Six hours before that, they deployed a squadron to break into a hidden vault within Satan Bank and recover a score of radioactive materials suitable for bombs. And, the rest is history."

"Why are you telling me this?" she asked cautiously. In her gut, nothing made any sense. Most of all, a mere child was speaking of a topic that even the most adept politicians tried to avoid. Bulma chuckled again.

"For one," she began, "I want to offer you and your daughter protection. As the only surviving member of that group, you're the last one who knows of the information and the only one who has access to the backup server, since the main one was obliterated. And as the only one unaccounted for, Genesis will likely be after the both of you as high-priority targets for elimination. You'll be set up with new identities and paperwork."

"W-What's in it for you guys?"

"Just know that this is entirely up to you," Bulma assured her. "You just need to provide us with all the information the internal affairs department has on Genesis. If not, all you'll need to do is keep Project Super Sword a secret. All the surveillance footage regarding Gohan and saving you have been completely wiped."

"That doesn't seem to benefit you much," she replied.

"It's for me," Gohan explained. She was shown multiple clusters of numbers. "These numbers are the suit's operational capacity and my processing capacity in previous operations and the one I was in a few hours ago." More numbers appeared, some significantly higher than others. "Compared to the average human, I'm already at an advantage, but I realized that I'll also need someone to help and give me information when I go into operations so that I can focus on my objectives. Since you're an analyst, I thought that you'd be the perfect candidate. And, this particular incident made me realize that I can't rely on Bulma as mission control. It would compromise both of us too much."

"W-Wait… Go back a few steps! These numbers are your vitals?" Takanashi exclaimed. Some were exponentially higher than what he claimed, on screen, were those of an average human. Even if she wasn't a medical expert, those values were too far-fetched to be legitimate."B-But that can't be!"

"To become compatible with Project Super Sword, I had to make multiple modifications to my body," he lied vaguely. "You could say that half my brain's a computer."

"But that's insane! You performed experiments on yourself!?"

"When no one is willing to defend the world, you have to do what you have to do," he replied with a harsh, bitter laugh. "If we were to leave the world's defense to the Union, we'd have the Cell fiasco all over again."

"Now that you know a little bit about us," Bulma interrupted, "I'd like to hear your response. Of course, it doesn't have to be immediate, but you'll be staying here under our highest security for your own safety, at least until we create you and your daughter's new identities."

The woman was speechless. Bulma Briefs was everything she imagined and then some. Son Gohan wasn't anything she'd expected at all. The entire situation was impossible for her. She glanced at her daughter, who had fallen asleep. Her motherly instincts told her to take the offer, but the rational human within her screamed "NO!"

"A-And you can guarantee our safety?" she asked cautiously. _Don't make them think that you're scared!_

"I personally guarantee it," Gohan replied with conviction. "You and your daughter will have only the best of facilities on Capsule Corporation's main headquarters. Your guard will be one of the best in the world. After all, Vegeta, Bulma-san's husband, lives on the premise. I am there a majority of the time as well."

"And how can you do that?" she pressed.

"That's even more classified than Super Sword."

"J-Just what are you guys?"

"We're the creatures that go bump in the night," Gohan joked before his features became serious once again. "But in all seriousness, we've been saving the world behind the scenes longer than Mister Satan's been famous."

* * *

Gohan sighed, leaning against the balcony as he pulled out his phone. There were several missed calls and several messages from Lime. From her voice messages, he could tell that she was anxious for his safety and smiled. After he sent a reply, he looked over the dark horizon. Every once in a while, the flash from the lighthouse filled his vision, only to retreat moments later.

_Mom's going to kill me when she finds out that I skipped my first day of school, _he mused. _I think I'll stay here tonight. I want to make sure Takanashi-san is alright. _The sound of heels striking against the concrete caught his attention. Turning around, he found Bulma standing behind him with a sharp expression on her face. "You must be exhausted," he said suddenly. "Dealing with all those… er… people…"

"I could say the same thing to you," she replied with an absent laugh. There was another moment of silence before she resumed speaking. "Are you sure this is alright? You told a complete stranger all that information. What if she doesn't accept?"

"Then so be it," he shrugged. "She won't reveal what she was told."

"And how can you be so sure of that?"

He turned back to the ocean. "I'm a good judge of character and I've checked into her life. Her family's fallen apart and she's raising that girl on her own with a civil-servant's low salary and unreasonable hours. I want to give her the chance to be with Hina-chan. Family is the most important thing for anyone. They're the only things that they have."

"You just can't not help a damsel in distress, eh?" the blue-haired woman sighed. His curiosity piqued, his eyebrow rose up. "C'mon, Gohan, don't play stupid. Lime, Eighteen, and now this girl and her child?"

"I guess I'm just a knight in shining armor," he chuckled.

"Lime'll be pretty pissed if she finds out you're giving girls, and fairly pretty ones, the wrong ideas," she teased. His look went from amused curiosity to confusion. "You can't seriously be that dense."

"Enlighten me," he replied. She shook her head.

"That's for her to explain, unless you man up, but you Saiyans never do that when women are involved."

"If you're referring to Dad, he never hurt anyone unless they were bad," Gohan smiled.

"Are you really sure about this, Gohan? You do realize that you're declaring war on the current world by doing this, right?" she asked. "This isn't going to end up like one of those epochs where the hero sacrifices himself for the greater good of the world, right?" He laughed again.

"If push comes to shove, then only King Yemma will know my fate," he said with determination. "But I don't plan to croak without telling her the truth first."

"Let's just hope you don't lose sight of your goal." He laughed again, this time, lacking the confidence from before. Bulma observed him as he gazed off into the distance.

"Yeah…" he mumbled. "Let's hope so…"

* * *

And done! Please tell me what you think, but no spam or flames. Thanks!

Transparentchaos signing out!


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